The Need for a Helping Hand
by Lucia Delaluna
Summary: After the war, Draco is the owner of a potions shop, and is chosen by an unknown quidditch team to play as seeker, but is quite happy with his shop! (he is not depressed, thank you very much!) However, his mind healer sees a golden opportunity to drag him out of his guilt ridden shell. He disagrees, but then he saves Potter's life at a match, and everything changes...M/M drarry.
1. A memory and a dream

**Disclaimer: All of the characters used in this chapter are the property of J.K. Rowling, and... You could say I'm currently borrowing them... Not mine -_-**

**Hello! This is the new story I was talking about. I will try to post new chapters in a reasonable timeline. I don't have a beta, but if anyone would like to volunteer, then I'm all for it.**

**Constructive criticism is welcome. Now, for the good bits. I have decided to turn this story to the direction of drarry. Aka m/m. I have never written a story like this, so this is my first go.**

**Let me repeat, THIS IS DRARRY, M/M. If you don't like that, then please exit the story.**

**Otherwise, please enjoy the first chapter of A Helping Hand :)**

The dark hallway stretched out, seemingly having no end. It was hard to recognize this sombre, sorrowful place as the light, airy home he remembered. His rational mind told him that 'this'…'that' right in front of him was not real, or hadn't been in a long time. However, nightmares rarely ever followed rational thought, and such was the case with his. At the end of the huge dark hallway stood Bellatrix, her dark demeanor and dressing almost completely blending with her surroundings.

"_No, please_."

The right side of her mouth twisted sharply upward, in a deranged facsimile of a grin. Her gleeful lips formed the words, "_Get Draco_….." While at the same time he uttered, "_No."_

The scene changed, and he was no longer a specter at the edge, but rather a character in that hellish moment. He could hear his father behind him, pleading for him to recognize the malformed face before him. The grip on his shoulder lessened, and he wished that his grip on reality had lessened along with it too. It was a fearful thing, he realized, to have someone's life in his hands. At that moment, he wished he'd never met Harry Potter, that he'd never uttered his name, that he'd never hated him enough to know his face nearly as well as his own, because then at least he could have said without lying, that he had no way of knowing who was in front of him.

He wished for it dearly, or, at least, that Potty hadn't been idiotic enough to get caught, because he knew for certain that this was Harry Potter.

It was at that point that dream melded with memory, and then Potter's green eyes looked into his. He was mesmerized by the emotion expressed in the depths of his gaze. He could see desperation and indignation alike, as wells as an irrational hope. Well, maybe not so irrational.

"_I….. I don't know_….."

Whether Potter knew that he recognized him, or believed that he honestly did not recognize his face, he didn't turn to see, because at this point his aunt turned to look him in the eyes. "What a difference," He thought weakly, "Between Potter's eyes and hers." The madness in the strangely black eyes was bleeding, draining into him, and for a second, he believed that his eyes were as black as hers. At that moment, he he knew he was as mad as her, as his entire family. He was falling into the madness of her, of the Dark Lord, of them all. An aberration born, his obsession for immortality, and his hatred of a little babe that refused to die. He Who Must Not Be Named had captured the minds of them all. All except his. He had doubts, and fears, oh so many fears, and if he let his fears show, his doubt, it would be the end for him as well as his family. And yet, he knew with one glance that it was already too late.

"_Too late, you've already made a mistake._"

Bellatrix snarled, dark eyes flashing, "LIAR!" she screamed, and everything became a slow blur. She raised her wand, lips moving. He didn't need to read her lips, or hear her words. There was only one curse used for traitors such as he.

Before the green light hit him, he remembered his palm extended, years ago, toward a boy with large green eyes and a lightning shaped scar. He remembered the pain of rejection, and the shame of his hurt. Harry Potter never accepted his hand, and now he was dying for him.

_Harry Potter refused to accept my hand, and now I'm dying for him._

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

He awoke with a gasp, and a shudder, and a sob of both fear and relief. Fear, because for a second, he thought that was what had really happened, and relief, because it never did. His lungs were still working as if he had never breathed in his life, and his hands shook as he moved sweat soaked strands of blond hair from his eyes. Gradually his breathing calmed, and his hands stopped shaking, but he found he could not go back to sleep. Feeling disturbed from the dream, and the darkness of the room, he magically turned on the lights without his wand, a simple enough spell for wand-less magic.

He would have to be awake at an early hour today for the children gathering school supplies, and his Potions shop would be packed. He needed sleep, but he could not calm his restless mind.

He grasped his face with both hands, massaging bloodshot eyes. He wouldn't be able to sleep, not if he didn't want another…. Nightmare.

He reached for the wand and dagger under his pillow, (call him paranoid, but with most of the Wizarding world out for his head, he considered it a just precaution) and grabbed the wand, flicking it and murmuring, "tempus."

4:34 am.

"Shit."

He would have to be up by 6:00 to set up the shop. He debated between trying to sleep again (and most likely dreaming again) or getting an early start on his day. A very early start.

_The madness in the strangely black eyes was bleeding, draining into him, and for a sec_—"a very early start to the day it is!"

He moved robotically, shifting the covers into a semblance of neatness, and then headed toward the shower. He was fully aware that his mind healer would be angry to realize that he slept close to nothing, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. He didn't want her getting any ideas, especially with her little shenanigans about quidd— _No, don't think about that_.

He just stood there, under the water, debating as to why he should even get out of the shower. Everyday it was getting harder to get out of bed, and every night was an effort not to dream. His mind healer told him to try to avoid thoughts like those, but what did that fucking mud blood know? He instantly felt bad, and he winced at that particular thought. She was actually a fairly nice lady, intent on helping him. He felt rather bad for her though, because as he lay under the shower, water pouring from his hair, he knew there was no solution for him. There was no penance. He would fail her just as he had failed everyone else and eventually, she would give up on him, just like everyone else gave up on him. Everything just took so much effort, and how could he stop thoughts such as those, when no one wanted to be close to him? At least, not anymore. And, he found that the longer he strayed from human interaction, the more he didn't want it. Ever since his mother-_don't think about that_.

He sighed and moved his gaze upward towards morning light, preparing himself for yet another day of monumental effort.

**Thank you for reading. Please review or leave comments!**


	2. My friend the Squib

**Hello and welcome back! **

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in the chapter except Meggie, I'm only borrowing Draco and Harry, how heartbreaking.**

**This chapter is still from Draco's perspective, but it might change in the next chapter...**

_Oh shit, oh shit, where did I put my wand_?

Draco turned and swirled in large circles, desperately trying to find his wand before the opening of his Potions shop. He should have known not to procrastinate in finding robes, but presentation was particularly important to him. He briefly mourned the fact that he wouldn't have any time to style his hair into its normally gelled back appearance, feeling the wispy strands tickling his cheeks.

_Come one_, he thought, _my flat certainly isn't large enough for this to be a problem_!

Finally, under a copy of Witch Weekly, he found his missing wand. He snatched it from the ground, and realizing how late he would be, (and how shameful it would be for the boss of his own shop to arrive later than his employees) he decided on a hastily burned piece of toast, and a freshly brewed cuppa for his breakfast.

With his tea still in hand, he rushed down to the shop where he knew Meggie would already be counting the supplies. He was not disappointed. As he slid to a stop in front of her, the liquid in his cup swirled, a small amount leaking and forming rivulets from his palm to the sleeve of his robes. _So much for my presentation_, He thought.

Meggie raised a delicate eyebrow, and he was particularly peeved by that, because he was fairly sure that she had stolen that trademark look off his face the moment he employed her. _She certainly wasn't this prissy when I met her!_

"You know I'm all for the sexy hair rumpled look, but the miss with the tea is a bit much for me, darling," she said sweetly to him, while counting supplies on the shelf and comparing them to the number registered on a sheet of parchment in front of her.

"Oh shut it, and do the job that was assigned to you, or I might just be forced to fire you, and then where would you be? In ghastly condition wouldn't you say?" He taunted back.

She sniffed, and looking stung she remarked, "You know, sometimes I think you don't appreciate me enough," and looking saucily at him she continued, "I might just decide to take this delectable ass over to that dreadful Weasly joke shop and then I bet you'd miss me dreadfully!"

In an un characteristic lapse of control, he laughed and smiled at her. He cheered up considerably from his terrible morning when she smiled back. She knew as well as he that it would be a cold day in hell before he fired her. Truthfully, she was the only employee working for his shop, aptly named Malfoy's Marvelous Potion's Emporium. He had been slightly hesitant to name it such, considering how his family was viewed in the Wizarding world these days. However, Meggie had seen to his insecurities with cruelly unrestrained words.

_If you want to be successful, then you're gonna have to stop trying to hide from the world! You know, I thought you to be of higher caliber than that! You spineless little coward! If you're debating so much on what to name your shop, how the hell are you going to make other more important decisions? Stop dicking around and name your damn shop whatever the hell you want to name it, or do you need a Squib to name it for you?" _

He shuddered a bit, recalling the memory. Aiming for his tattered pride had been a low blow, but strangely effective.

It hadn't been the first time Meggie had intervened. That woman had a backbone of steel, and a tongue as loose as Moaning Mytle's bathroom pipes. He was fairly sure, during his youth, that he would never have anyone as uncouth as her in such close proximity to him, let alone working for him. However, Meggie offered something far more valuable than pomp and etiquette; unrelenting loyalty. Funny how he, a Slytherin now valued loyalty.

His first meeting with Meggie had been a unplanned one. He had bought the building, and the flat above it with the intention of doing something with his life. He had found that the Manor no longer held warmth for him especially after—_No, don't think about that_.

While he could have happily retired with his vast expanse of Malfoy inheritance, but his mind healer had refused to allow him, in her exact words "Lay like a potato in bed all day long." After much bickering, and far too much cursing, (He still felt ashamed at himself for his lack etiquette) he agreed to make something of his life, even though he still thought it was bloody unnecessary.

Everything had been fairly simple, buying the building had been a snap, and making the potions had been easy, courtesy of his beloved Godfather Severus. Everything was running smoothly, except for the fact that he needed more help organizing and managing production. In essence, he needed employees, and there came his conundrum. Who would want to work for a recently reformed Death Eater? Not many, if the lack of any volunteers was accurate. He had been about to give up and head back to his flat for the night when he heard a young female voice screaming, "Wait!"

He turned to see the strangest girl he had ever encountered barreling towards him, and haphazardly shoving her job application into his face. She was a strange sight, with neon pink hair that was set in a pixie cut, and rather large feathered earrings. Her eyes were chocolate brown, and she had a healthy blush from running all the way from to the other side of the street to his shop.

He scanned her application after raising a pale eyebrow, and heavily scrutinizing her as well as her wardrobe. _This girl must surely be color blind!_

Everything seemed perfectly fine, and he was about tell her to report to him the next day, with no small amount of enthusiasm at finally having an employee, when he read the fine print at the bottom of the application.

"You're a Squib?!" He shouted.

She looked up at him with cold eyes and replied, "For your information, my name's Meggie! And yeh, I'm a Squib, what does that matter?!"

He looked at her incredulously and replied, "What does it matter?! It matters because you just applied for a job at a magical potions shop, go get a job with the Muggles!"

She glared at him, and feeling his temper start to get the best of him, he turned his back to leave.

"You know, I don't think you have the freedom to be choosy here, _Draco Malfoy_! I doubt you're gonna get any other fucking applications. So what I can't do any magic? Can't I apply? From what I can read, the job doesn't even require magic, you just need someone to sort all of your crap and keep it nice and tidy!"

He paused mid step, and slowly turned to look at her. She was huffing and puffing from her little tirade, and he was almost trembling from the fury her words had caused. "How about you take your little woes to someone who actually cares, and maybe next time you apply for some other poor unsuspecting job, you keep your dirty little mouth closed, because I'm sure as hell never going to have such an dirty mouthed Squib in my shop!"

He turned around and started stalking away, furiously asking himself why he couldn't have any normal applicants?

_The audacity of her! How bloody rude_!

"Please?"

He paused yet again, surprise more than anything causing him to stop, but he didn't look back at her.

"Please? I know I'm a Squib, and I know I can be a bit rude sometimes…"

_Only a bit rude? _he snorted, _sometimes?_

"But I don't have anywhere else to go! I can be very dedicated to my job! Can't you understand, can't you give me a break?"

_Can't you give me a break?_

He sighed and looked back at her. He application was decent, and he was fairly sure that she would make a dedicated employee….and maybe she was skilled at manipulation as well, because he couldn't get that sentence out of his head.

Maybe because he felt a bit of pity for her, or maybe because he could emphasize with her, or maybe someone cast the Imperius curse on him, (which seemed the more plausible of the three) because almost without thinking, he replied with a wary yes.

He was unprepared for her response. She jumped in the air, pumping her fist, whooping and screaming "Yes, Yes, yes!" She then turned to him, and shoved her hand in his personal space. He took it with caution and then proceeded to hold on for his life as she jerked his hand up and down, his arm bending like a wet noodle. So strong was her grip, that his body was forced to jerk along with his poor arm. "Thank you so so much! My name's Meggie Prittle, but you can call me Meg for short! Oh! You won't regret this!" He was left dumbfounded at how quickly her emotions changed, and barely had time to tell her at what time she should arrive and how many days a week she would work, before she was off running again.

Slowly shaking his head, he looked at the sky in sheer disbelief at the situation.

And thus, Meggie became his ever so rude employee. She had been correct in assuming that no one else would apply. Luckily, she was skilled enough that she could manage on her own. She quickly became his only only friend. Sadly for him, he had been correct in assuming that the job wouldn't be enough to curb her nasty language.

He chuckled wryly, how funny he thought, a _reformed Death Eater and a Squib working a Potions shop together, Severus must be having a good laugh up there._

That thought quickly sobered his amusement, but before he could think about his Godfather, he heard a tinkle at the door, signaling a customer. No more time to think. Malfoy's Marvelous Potions Emporium was open for business.

**My my, who could possibly be the first customer?**


	3. A Blue Malfoy

Hey sorry guys, it took sooooo long, but I had college shit and scholarships to fill out. God, I'm still exhausted, but I've made you wait long enough. Please enjoy!

/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/((/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(

Harry awoke to the ever pleasant experience of having an owl hungrily pecking at his nose.

"No Pig…. Not this early in the morning…"

Surprisingly, the pecking did not cease. With a groan and a shuffle, he sat up. Blearily rubbing his eyes and reaching for his glasses. He tried to ignore Pig, but was met with limited success. Pig, seeing his efforts go to waste, decided to take drastic measures, and took the glasses right off of Harry's nose.

"No Pig!" Harry exclaimed, laughing despite his annoyance, "Come on, how do you expect me to give you a treat without even being able to see you?!"

The overly energetic owl flew around, as if displaying his prize. Finally, the owl relented in his gloating and deposited Harry's glasses with surprisingly good aim, back onto his nose. The owl proceeded to hoot apologetically.

"No, it's fine Pig, don't worry about it, here, show me the letter."

The owl proudly lifted his leg, offering the attached envelope to Harry. Harry positioned his glasses and opened the envelope. It was obviously from Ron, due to it being his owl, but the messy inky scrawl only confirmed it. Hermione was ever on his arse for having handwriting reminiscent to Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

_Hey there mate! _

_I know it's a bit early, but are we still going to Diagon Alley with Teddy? He seemed pretty excited about it, and one of his friends keeps rambling about some Potions shop. Don't ask me why any kid would be interested in Potions, (bloody terrifying class if you ask me) but hey whatever the kid wants, right? If he doesn't like it, we could always take him to the Joke shop. Hermione wants to go too, if only to see your babysitting prowess. So reply soon, and if you're still up for it, we'll see you at the entrance to Diagon alley._

_See ya Harry._

_P.S. Don't bother picking up Teddy, 'Mione decided she wanted to meet him early so she picked him up from Andromeda's ages ago. (Seriously, it's scary how much she likes him, the bloody woman's gonna be asking me for a kid now anytime soon.)_

Smiling at the thought of Ron as a father, Harry quickly wrote his reply with an affirmative yes, (After all, who was he to spoil his Godson's day?) he was also a bit curious. Never in his life would he have expected a Potions shop to be popular with the kids. More like musty and smelly, and downright terrifying.

Oh well, he thought. He attached the letter to Pig's leg, and then started gathering his clothes for the morning. He was about to pick up a shirt from the messy sprawl on his floor when he felt a prick on the back of his neck.

"Ow!"

He rubbed the spot while squinting, and then smacked his forehead. He quickly went to the jar of owl treats by his writing table and held out a mouse flavored treat to Pig, smiling apologetically for almost forgetting. The Owl snatched it from his fingers and the flew out the window, disappearing into a mass of clouds.

Still rubbing the tender spot, he gathered his clothes, and walked to the bathroom, carefully avoiding several of the portraits along the hall. (Many of the portraits still had anti removal hexes, and still screamed like banshees if the saw "blood traitors" around the house.) Best not to spook them.

/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/))/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)

Harry sighed as he realized that no matter how many times he brushed his hair, it still refused to lie down. He was still waiting for Hermione, Ron and Teddy. Harry was excited for the day to begin, since it had been a long time since he'd done anything relative normal.

"Harry! We're here!" He turned around and was greeted by an enthusiastic Hermione, followed by a seemingly exasperated Rom leading Teddy by the hand.

"Uncle Won' why awe you always with Mione'?"

"Because… Because she's a really good friend."

"Is that what you do wih weally good fwiends?"

"Uh yeh… Sure….."

"I'm gonna tell Wendinand that that's what weally close fwiends do"

"Yeh, you can have lots of sleepover parties!"

"Yeh, and we can touch ouw mouths togethew too!"

"What The- Hippopotamus!? You can't kiss Ferdinand!" Ron was blushing, the red of his skin clashing horribly with the red of his hair.

"But wew weally good fwiends, like you and aunty Mione do!"

"Ummmm," looking nervous Ron replied, "That's a different type of friendship…. You'll learn when your older…"

Teddy pouted, and his hair turned an alarming shade of puce, "but I wanna leawn now!"

At this point looking nervous, Ron simply ignored him and turned to Harry.

"Hey there, you know, if you weren't my best mate, I'd be worried about you stealing away Hermione!"

Harry tensed up. He was well aware of how jealous Ron had been during the search for the Horcruxes. He thought that the subject was still sensitive for Ron, but now he could only feel relief; if Ron was able to joke about it like that, then that meant he was truly over it.

Harry relaxed and smiled back, "Aww, you know me better than that!"

"Potion shwop! Potion shwop!"

Their reunion was cut short by Teddy's demanding cries.

"Alright! Alright!," Harry replied, "hey don't you wanna give me a hug!"

Harry was left standing alone with his arms outstretched as Teddy dragged off Ron towards what he guessed to be the direction of the "potions shwop".

Hermione laughed at Harry's wounded expression, "Harry! He's a kid! Of course he's excited about something new."

Harry pouted, "But I'm his godfather! I would hope that I'm a little more exciting than a musty old potions shop!"

"Harry….."

"He's my godson….."

"Harry…"

"My favorite godson….."

"Harry, he's your only godson"

"Yeh, well he's still my favorite godson….. So far…"

Hermione exhaled a large gust of air, "Come on oh mighty Godfather, let's go catch up."

Harry followed dutifully behind, still slightly peeved at this potions shop for stealing his godson's attention.

/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/((/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/((/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/((/(/(/(/(/(/(/((/(/(/

After a brief jog to catch up to Ron and Teddy, all of them arrived at the entrance to the supposedly amazing Potions shop. None of them paused to look up at the name, which was blatantly obvious is gold lettering.

That had partly to do with the fact that Teddy absolutely refused to wait a moment longer and slipped his chubby toddles fingers from Ron's hand.

"Oi! Hold up!"

Ron, Hermione and Harry chased after Teddy crossing the threshold of the door, and were forced to pause at the sight that greeted them on the other side.

The first thing Harry noticed in the store were the smiles and laughs of the children. It was deafening, and everywhere. Children skipping around, children jumping around, children everywhere on top of cushioning charms. The second thing Harry noticed was the absolute cleanliness of the shop paired along with a tasteful décor of gold and and green. And the third thing he noticed, was the absolute aura of magic that hung from the shop. Images moved on the walls, displaying rare potions and ingredients. There were potions and potions ingredients floating above the customers, without them having to carry them around. There were other children with strange blobs of goo that turned into whatever the children told them to, as well as other low level potions that were available to them. Anything that was dropped or spilled automatically cleaned itself and put itself back in its rightful place. Harry absently noticed a broom sweeping away across the floor on its own.

The golden trio stood there with their mouths hung open.

"Bloody hell," Ron murmured. He looked back at his friends, "are you guys sure this is a potions shop?"

Teddy grasped Ron's arm and began tugging on him, "I wanna go see the gwoops!"

"Wait Teddy!" But to no avail, Ron was dragged off into a sea of people.

"Bloody hell, damn this was a huge turnout! Oh hey there guys, welcome, do you need anything in specific?"

Harry and Hermione turned around to find a strange woman with bubblegum pink hair and long feather earrings smiling at them.

"Uh no…. We'r not looking for anything in specific, um, are you the owner?," asked Hermione.

The woman looked at them incredulously and then started convulsing, holding her face in her hands. "Hahahahhahahahahahhahahhahaha!"

Just when Harry and Hermione were beginning to think she was having some kind of seizure she looked back at them with tears in her eyes, "Oh god! You think I'm him, oh god! Hehehehe, wait till I tell him, 'Hey Draco! How about you hand over your rights to the shop, seeing as how most of your customers think I'm the owner….' Hehehehe, really that's his own fault for skulking about, you don't know how many people have asked me that question already! Anyway, my names Meggie Prittle, but everyone just calls me Meggie and unfortunately, this beautiful ass isn't the owner of this shop," Meggie held out her hand, "pleasure to meet your acquaintance!" Meggie kept her hand out dutifully, waiting for someone to shake it, and becoming more and more puzzled as they stood there with a faraway look in their eyes.

Then Hermione asked in a hushed tone, "Did you say… Draco? As in, Draco Malfoy?"

Meggie furrowed her brows, "You know im'?"

Harry opened his mouth, about to reply, when her heard an enraged scream and a shocked yell at the same time. All three heads turned toward the sound.

"You fucking ferret face! Are you following us around? You death eater scum!"

Ron was holding Malfoy but the collar of his shirt, two feet above the floor pressed against a wall, Malfoy's face turning blue from lack of oxygen.

"No Ron!" Hermione screamed and ran over to Ron and Malfoy.

All Harry could do was stare, feeling shocked as his friend ran over to his best friend who was choking his supposed nemesis, which he hadn't seen in a few years.

The fourth thing he noticed about the shop, was a heavy golden cursive appearing periodically in the images floating on the walls reading, "Malfoy's Marvelous Potions Emporium" Harry stared at the writing.

The fourth thing he noticed about the shop, was noticed too late.

/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/((/(/(/((/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/((/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/(/((/(/(/(/(/(/(/(

Hehehe…. Funny how Harry cares about a store more than the fact that it seems Ron is the one bonding the most with Teddy. I really didn't try to do that, the characters just write themselves! Anyway, it's Draco's perspective next, what will happen? Please, please, please, leave reviews, they feed my poor soul.


	4. A surprising revelation

Hey guys! Welcome back. Sorry it took me so long to update, there is absolutely no reason why it should have taken so long! I actually had most of this chapter written for a while, but for some reason I had a really bad writer's block. You see.. there were two directions in which this story could have gone, and I had to choose one. In fact, I'm going to have to change a small thing in one of the previous chapters to make the story line up. However, I think the change will be better in the long run.

DISCLAIMER: Again, none of these characters aren't mine. I'm borrowing them."

Draco knew going out into the floor was a bad idea, but he could not help ignoring his own instincts.

For a moment, and for one single moment, he'd felt accomplished. The main reason being that everyone in his shop had a smile on their face; they were happy. It was even more unbelievable to think, that everyone's smiles had to do with him. He felt something warm blossoming in his chest, and it had been so long since he'd felt it, that it took him a moment to recognize what it was. It was pride.

He was proud of himself.

All of that was promptly ruined when Ron "Weasel" announced himself with the strongest intention of crushing his trachea. Draco could see the Weasel's mouth moving, but he could not understand what he was saying. The Weasel's face was red, and there was spittle flying out of his mouth.

_Ew…_

"Death eater scum!"

_Oh, that's what he's on about… Everything makes so much more sense now…_

Weasel began jerking his throat around, and consequently smashing his head against the wall. If he had ever considered the notion of struggling, it was now impossible due to the colorful spots blocking his vision. Draco had been strangled before, and although the first time had been appropriately terrifying, this time he could really care less. Nobody would miss him; he had no children, no parents, and no significant other. While he did have a job, and a squib as a friend, he really couldn't make the slightest effort to motivate himself to at least, _try _to live. In his mind, he had absolutely nothing to fight for. If anything, he felt he should welcome death with open arms.

_Is this how Severus felt?_

_Is this how mother felt?_

He could feel his legs numbing, as if they didn't exist anymore. The feeling slowly crept towards his torso, and then his arms, then his throat, which he was thankful for.

The numbness was slowly creeping towards his head, and his brain filled with spots, and behind it, a blinding light. He stopped trying to breathe. After all, he no longer had lungs he could feel. He could no longer support himself, and leaned into Weasel. As the last vestiges of his strength slipped away, he was able to hear Bucktooth Granger yell something.

'_What a lonely way to die.'_

Then he was gone.

/

"_Come now darling, wake up."_

_Who was talking to him?_

"_Oh come on! We don't have much time!"_

"_Please wake up Draco, please!"_

_His eyelashes fluttered. He caught sight of something pale._

"_Draco!"_

_Who was that? He should know that voice….._

"_Wake up please!" _

_Mother?_

_Mother._

_Mother!?_

_He opened his eyes and sat up, nearly bumping heads with none other than Narcissa Malfoy._

"_Mum?" He choked out._

_His mother's expression softened, and she gathered him into her arms, both of them still on the ground._

"_Yes, it's me," she said, as she slowly stroked his hair with pale fingers. Draco could smell the slight scent of roses and honey, which were a trademark of Narcissa Malfoy, due to her extended periods of time gardening. _

'_It smelled like… It smelled like home.'_

_He could feel her against him. Her hair brushing his face, her pointy, defined nose brushing his neck. In fact, it was the same type of nose that Draco had. The one he had inherited from her._

_She smelled like his mother, sounded like his mother, felt like his mother, but it couldn't possibly be true. _

_**The real Narcissa Malfoy died two years ago.**_

"_You're dead," he whispered into her ear._

_She slowly pulled away from the embrace, and reached out toward his face; his cheek. _

_Her fingers came back wet._

_He didn't realize he had been crying._

"_Oh my child," her expression became solemn, "I've missed you so much, my beloved Dragon."_

_No, it wasn't possible, she was DEAD._

_He leapt away from her, his abrupt motion causing Narcissa to lose her balance on her knees and crash on her bum._

"_You're dead!" He screamed, now standing up, towering above his mother. "You're gone! He took you and you're never coming back!" He screamed at her with such volume, that towards the end, his voice became hoarse, unintentionally becoming weaker._

"_No," she begged, "I'm real, I'm here, but if we don't hurry, you'll be staying here as well."_

"_No!" he screamed. "You're not real!" _

_Narcissa out of desperation stood up reached out, her heart breaking when her son desperately tried to move beyond her reach. In the moment of confusion, she managed to reach her him, and held his face between her palms, slowly wiping the tears from his cheeks with her thumbs. _

"_You have to believe me, please, we don't have much time. There are so many things I want to tell you, many, many things that we sadly don't have the time for now."_

_He stared deep into his supposed mother's eyes, searching for something. His face showing the mental tug of war that was going on inside._

_Then, without much warning, wrenched his mother's hands from his face and stepped away from, his mouth turning into a cruel smile._

"_Come now 'mother' you should know what to do, as 'us' Malfoys know best. Give me proof. Maybe you can't. You can't be her, and it's pathetic that you're even trying. YOU, trying to deceive ME…. I, who heard her dying screams, saw her blood splattering onto the floor…." _

"_Don't insult me, I may be a mockery of what I used to be, but I'm still a Malfoy." At this point he sneered, eyes haunted, "PROVE IT TO ME, TELL ME WHAT NO ONE OUTSIDE OF MYSELF KNOWS!," he shouted._

"_WHO KILLED YOU?!"_

_Narcissa, who had kept her eyes toward the ground throughout his entire tirade, raised them, and with a hint of steel in her tone, answered._

"_Lucius Malfoy."_


End file.
